No Happy Returns
by thepenartist
Summary: Sasuke seeked power to reach his goals of revenge. With Orochimaru's expertise, he was certain he could become stronger. But his plans took a turn when an unexpected person was recruited "as the newest addition to the family". MUST READ! Reviews welcome!
1. The Crate

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Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me. All credit of the Naruto Universe belongs to Masahi Kishimoto. I make no profit off of this.

My first fanfiction: Praise and Constructive Criticism are welcomed.

If that's all...ready. set. go!

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The sun brightly shone against the clear blue sky, its blistering rays showing no sympathy on its poor citizens down below. It was only noon, the streets were practically empty, and the only sign of life happened to be inside, tucked away into the comfort of their homes. Apparently, everyone seemed to agree that today was too terrible to set foot outside. Yet, there were the few who braved the harsh weather and walked along the arid dusty streets of the Land of the Wind. Among them were two rather strange looking men.

Their wardrobe contrasted greatly against the statuesque rocky mountains surrounding the small village and as they glided up the main road, they seemed like walking advertisements. The tallest of the pair wore a purple and gray-sleeved shirt with bandages wrapped around his waist and purple pants. His long silver that was tied back and there was a look of contentment about him. On the other hand, his companion wore a simpler outfit consisting of a navy blue shirt and cream-colored shorts. His short raven-colored hair swaying back and forth against the wind created a look of importance.

Up the road they walked, passing a few nosy people looking on from behind the curtains of their windows. They ignored their stares and continued on until they stopped in front of a bar.

The silver-haired man turned to his companion, slowly lifting his finger as if to indicate that he wait there.

"Sasuke, I won't take long", he said. "As soon as I come back from the bar I want you to go in and stay there till I come and get you. Understand?"

Sasuke simply crossed his arms and looked at the man. "Fine, but don't take forever Kabuto. It's cutting in on my time."

With that, Kabuto walked inside the bar, leaving Sasuke leaning against the wall in deep concentration.

Fortunately for him, he did come back from the bar but with nothing in hand. This left Sasuke wondering why he went there in the first place. But soon discarded those thoughts from his mind and walked inside. From the corner of his eye he saw Kabuto disappear into the distance. Meanwhile, inside the bar were a few old men playing cards and drinking beer at the counter. They too were tired, probably from the weather. The atmosphere was dreary and it pulled on him. Sasuke spotted a suitable empty table for him and sat down.

"This was not what I had planned today" he thought. "I need to go back to continue training".

He sat like this for a few hours waiting for Kabuto to come by. By now, he put his thoughts of training at the back of his mind. He occasionally glanced at the old men playing cards to keep him busy.

Sasuke had been awake since dawn and spent the whole day walking from one of Orochimaru's many stations to the Land of the Wind. This journey left him both tired mentally and physically. Kabuto wouldn't explain why they had come all this way to a good-for-nothing village. To be honest, he expected to go to Sunagakure. He assumed this had something to do with spying, yet it didn't quite make sense. Usually Kabuto would go alone on spy missions.

By now, the old men at the table had given up playing cards. Sasuke had just about given up hope of returning in time for training. The sun was now setting and that meant they'd have to stay here for the night. "Great", he thought.

Just then Kabuto burst through the door and called out his name. " Sasuke! Come here quickly!"

Sasuke obliged and hurried out the door. In fact, he was relieved at a chance to get out of there. He followed the medic-nin into the bar's dark alleyway " What is it? Sasuke asked. What took you so"  
He came to a full stop. A force kept him from going any further.

"Shh. Be quiet, you don't want to cause it any reason to get out" it whispered. It was Kabuto who pulled him back. He took his hand away from Sasuke's shoulder. "Sorry about that, I didn't want you to bump into it." he added sheepishly.

The raven-haired teen looked at him sternly "Bump into what? I can see things perfectly." Which wasn't true. Sasuke squinted a little to see well. The darkness made things harder on his eyesight. From what he could make out, it was a crate. It was a pretty large one too, about up to his torso. The last time he saw one like that was-

Then it hit him. "No way", he thought. "This is a container. Not just any container, but one to transport a living human. Could it be that this is one of his future experiments?"

So many thoughts were racing across his mind. It must have shown, Kabuto seemed to read his mind.

" I see you figured it out", Kabuto smiled. His condescending smile irked Sasuke to no end. "One good punch would fix that", Sasuke thought. But he settled to put up with it because he wanted to know more about this mysterious vessel.

He crossed his arms in defense and smirked. "Actually I knew it all along. I just wanted to keep it to myself. After all, this got in the way of my training. I didn't want to give you any ideas that I wanted to help"

Kabuto looked at him for a moment, contemplating on what he said. " Of course and now that everything is out, why not help me anyway?" He slowly walked up to the crate and pulled out a seal from his pocket. He performed a couple hand seals and stuck the seal to the crate. Whoever was in the crate was awake now and started pounding at it.

Quietly, Kabuto said, " It took me all day to find what Orochimaru wanted and I hope it was worth it. This time, I have no idea what might be going on in his head. This wasn't the prodigy I had hoped for."

Sasuke cringed a little. " Did he say prodigy?" he thought. " No, it's not possible. After all the Uchiha power is what Orochimaru is after. What greater power is there? " He looked at the container. " No matter what, this person won't ruin my chance of surpassing him." His arms flexed for a moment in frustration. The young teen quietly let out a huff and went into his usual stance, all while looking at the crate.

Meanwhile, the older shinobi leaned against the wall with his arms crossed against him. His furrowed face in deep concentration. Sasuke could imagine Kabuto's thoughts twisting and turning like the inner mechanisms of a clock. Time was passing by. The sky was pitch black now and the temperature cooled down. The fluorescent light of the moon replaced the sun's and gave way to an almost serene atmosphere. The two shinobi firmly stood in their place, neither of them moving or making a sound.

Sasuke closed his eyes and meditated. From the likes of how things were going today, he might be losing his place as the Sannin's number one possession. Normally, he wouldn't care about what Orochimaru thought of him. At least Sasuke was sure of his place in the snake master's eyes. Right?

The pounding on the crate died down and nothing was heard except for the faint clamor inside the bar. Kabuto walked over to the crate and began lifting it. "Hey, help me out here, its quite heavy" he said.

Sasuke walked to the other side of the crate and held onto its rope handles. The two lifted it and began carrying it to their destination- wherever that was.

"Exactly where do you plan on going?" he asked. Night pierced the sky which made travelling conditions worse.

Kabuto stayed silent for a while, mulling it over and quietly said, and "We'll be heading back to Orochimaru like we planned."

"Humph. In this time of day? I thought you'd be the type to wait till morning."

"Orochimaru needs this by tonight", Kabuto replied. "Tomorrow he'll be busy visiting his other lab experiments, he won't have time."

" When will he make time?", Sasuke was getting annoyed by this; lately the snake king was putting off their training more often. "I need to become stronger." he added.

Kabuto sighed, "I don't know for sure."

They walked endlessly for miles across the arid desert with no visible of sign of their lair. Beads of sweats dripped across their faces as they struggled to carry a very large package. The cool night had improved their work ethic. Even with the crate, they still walked faster than they did during the day.

The hours passed by and just when Sasuke started to think they'd never get there, he saw the outline of a great mountain range in the horizon. In there he knew there resided a great secret lair or nest, as he liked to think of it. A snake's nest where tunnels intertwined with one another creating passageways to dozens of rooms.

"We're here." Kabuto said.

At last they arrived at Laboratory 5, their current residence. Through a secret opening in one of the boulders, they entered the snake's pit. Sasuke's eyes were consumed by complete darkness, but it only lasted a second. Kabuto had lighted one of the torches near the entrance. They continued down a long flight of stairs only to arrive at another door. Sasuke observed how well guarded Orochimaru's labs were, this door had several locks bolted to it. On top of that you still had to perform a special seal to open it. Only Kabuto, Orochimaru, and himself knew it.

Both men put the crate down and began working diligently at the door. It groaned with every twist and turn at the handles. But it was working as each locked clicked except for one, the sealed lock. This one Sasuke wanted to do. He thought it fun actually, like a special ninja. Of course, he'd have to keep that to himself.

"Tori, Saru, Hebi, Saru, Tora, Hebi", he chanted while performing each hand seal. He repeated this three times and stood back to watch as the last lock clicked. The large stone door opened by itself and both shinobi with the crate walked inside. The door closed behind them as soon as they got in. A familiar setting was brought before them. A long narrow tunnel that led them to dozens of rooms.

" Sasuke I think this is where I'll leave you. I'm going to bring this immediately to Orochimaru. I want you to go to your room where you'll wait until you're called." he said.

" Whatever, I've done my part. What you do with that brat is none of my concern." Sasuke said. He waved his hand nonchalantly to emphasize this point.

Kabuto got the message and carried the crate to the lair's main elevator located near the entrance. It was Kabuto's only work of genius where he managed to create an elaborate elevator that took them to any direction they wanted, whether it be up, down, left, or right. He went there and disappeared.

Sasuke was left alone wandering through the hall, that he knew all to well. " Well, I'm back" he thought. A part of him enjoyed being here but only because it served as an escape. Konoha was long gone now and he was on a quest to kill his brother. The lair provided him with a sanctuary that kept him from his memories of his old home. On the other hand, he longed to have someone call out to him in a caring matter, such as a friend would. " But that's stupid, I severed my ties. What's next? What can I do now?" he thought.

Throughout all this thinking, his feet loyally led him to his room. It was located just four hallways down and to the left, fifth door down. He opened the broad oak door and closed it behind him. Darkness consumed him once again but he gracefully managed to find his dresser at the right and lit the torch above it. Now that he could see again, he lay down on his bed and surveyed his surroundings.

His room was rather small with only a bed, a dresser, a trunk for his weapons and scrolls, and a bathroom facility. Although, the bed could hardly be called comfortable with feathers stuffed into it. Perhaps to most people, they would find it heaven; a bed so soft that the unlikeliest of men could not resist. But Sasuke recognized that was he was not like most people. He needed something firm to support his back. Whenever he sat on his fluffy bed he just sank down. It was most uncool. His dresser was fine and it held nothing extravagant inside; just a few of his usual training outfits. If you looked for anything worth gazing at, it would have to be his trunk. It was made of wrought iron and adorned with a golden dragon running through it. Its great mouth opened, revealing a small latch that was kept locked at all times. Sasuke's greatest possessions lay inside. Most of them were weapons that he used on a daily basis; his katana, kunais, scrolls, etc. It covered what he really cared for the most but he never dared to show; his family possessions and that one picture of Team 7.

On to the next chapter!


	2. One Month

Sasuke awoke to a loud knocking at his door. How long had he been sleeping? He got up from his bed and grudgingly trotted toward the door; he looked through its peephole. An almond-shaped yellow eye looked back at him. "Sasuke-kun", it hissed, " Open the door"  
Sasuke immediately obliged and moved out of the way for the figure to enter his room. It was the snake himself; Orochimaru. He looked so out of place in Sasuke's room. His chalk-like skin glowed vigorously in the dark and his eyes were two golden slits; not to mention his nose was barely there. He didn't look human enough to be called a man, he was snake-like in all aspects; from the purple streaks running from his eyes, those menacing fangs, that limber figure, and that faint hiss heard whenever he spoke. All that and more made him impossible to trust.

Orochimaru walked closer towards him. " Sasuke-kun, you've been gone all day. I really missed you...humph. Have you forgotten our training?" He smirked while glimpses of his fangs were seen.

" No", Sasuke replied. " I've long anticipated our training, but it seems like you've have better things to do. I didn't forget." He hated talking with the Sannin; it always left a bad aftertaste.

Orochimaru cackled mirthlessly." You don't know why, do you? Ah, Sasuke-kun, I haven't been there for you because I did have other things to do. You'll see that it's quite beneficial. But first let me ask, how would you feel if I postponed our training for a month"

" A month? he asked. "There's no way I'd let you get away with that. I know your time is running out and you need a new body soon. You're bluffing." Sasuke said.

"Bluffing? My dear boy, I have nothing to bluff about. A month would be nice to get away from a rude brat like you." Orochimaru paused to look at Sasuke's reaction. Sasuke just stared at him; he continued. " Besides I believe its a good experience for you. Could you train and surpass your own limits by yourself?

" Of course I can." Sasuke said.

Orochimaru leaned closer towards him still. Sasuke could see every muscle in the snake's body tense with excitement. He wasn't sure where Orochimaru was going with this. The truth was that he hated the mind games often played on him. He wasn't sure how he was going to train a month by himself and get stronger without a mentor to supervise him.

" Well Sasuke-kun, I'm sure you could train by yourself, but I'm afraid you'd get lonely. My future body can't be hanging around unsupervised, why think of the havoc that will reek upon this place. No. I think a companion for you is best." Orochimaru said.

"Orochimaru, I need no one. If anything, I needed you to become stronger and you leave for long periods of time? Just spit it out and tell me where you're going with this." Sasuke said.

The Sannin was a little ticked at these last words. " Sasuke-kun, that was...blunt. No need to be harsh because I was just getting to that. You know that crate you brought in? Well, the person that was inside will be your new prey. You can use it to play with for one month"

" Play with a human? I'm not as twisted as you. I'm guessing you mean training with that person for a month. It depends... if they're worthy enough to train with an Uchiha"

" Train, play, I see no difference." Orochimaru said nonchalantly. "As for worthiness, its up to you to decide. I'll give you one month and I expect the both of you to be ready for real training"

Sasuke watched as the Snake King walked towards the door. Before Orochimaru left he parted with these words. " My body has plenty of time before it wears out, I hope yours doesn't by the time I see you again." Then the oak door closed gently behind him, leaving Sasuke alone again.

"Hn, that person will have to worry about Me." he thought. " They'll be lucky if they ever have the chance to gaze upon my Sharingan." His eyes glowed red with black-spiraled pupils as he said this. The Sharingan was the Uchiha clan's claim to fame. Sasuke knew he shouldn't be cocky since he didn't even know the other person, but he couldn't help feeling so...well, cocky. "I've been here for 5 months now training vigorously. My speed has increased, I have a new jutsu, and combined with the skills I have now I'll be fine"

So he walked back to his bed and lied down. Honestly, he didn't even know what the time was. Without windows it was hard to tell whether it was day or night. Sasuke just lied down with arms crossed behind his head and thought. He noticed lately how he's been thinking more often and today was just worse. He furrowed his eyebrows and pouted his lips while he thought. This one little idea had been plaguing him ever since they came back from Sunagakure. Who is that mystery person? " Its stupid, I'll find out tomorrow." he said to himself. But could he wait that long? Sasuke was revered for many things but patience didn't come naturally as most things did. So he stayed wrestling with his thoughts till he fell asleep.

The next day Sasuke woke up to nothing, nothing at all. Usually he woke up to some noise but today was especially calm. He got up and went to the bathroom to get ready. He took a long cold shower, brushed his teeth, and got dressed. Sasuke wore his usual navy shirt with light gray shorts. He didn't bother with his hair; it never behaved the way it ought to. The back stuck out in many directions and his bangs laid smack in the front of his face. He walked to his trunk and took a handful of kunais, his katana, scrolls, and a number of miscellaneous shinobi equipment. Sasuke was ready for the newcomer's arrival.

He didn't have to wait long because Kabuto came in to tell him to meet Orochimaru at the grand hall. The grand hall was this elaborate chamber where Orochimaru and him would occasionally use to train. It was vast amount of space dedicated to nothing in particular. It was more for decor to impress any of there guests, which there never was.

Sasuke walked down the tunnel and stopped to arrive at the grand hall. Like everything else, it was semi-dark and eerie, only a handful of torches surrounded the hall's court. He entered the chamber where Orochimaru greeted him.

"Good morning, Sasuke."

"Hn." grunted Sasuke.

Orochimaru wasn't bothered by the boy's lack of response instead he had more pressing matters to address.

" Sasuke, as you know, today is your first day training without me. Taking my place will be my newest addition to the collection. Come on out Satomi." Orochimaru said.

A young girl appeared from behind Orochimaru who looked equally as confused as Sasuke did now. She wasn't very tall and had long auburn-colored hair. Her appearance did not indicate whether or not she was powerful. Sasuke saw girls like this in his village and they were definitely not shinobi.

Sasuke didn't know what to make of this. "Is this a joke?" he asked. "I thought you promised me a worthy opponent."

The old Sannin looked sternly at him and said, " Do I look as if I'm joking? She's someone who I personally selected to be part of our family. She'll serve her part well, won't you?"

Her caressed her cheek. She flinched at his touch.

"Okay" Sasuke sighed. " I'll accept this for now."

" I knew you'd see things my way. Now I think its time for some introductions." Orochimaru said.

Orochimaru looked at Sasuke implying that he should began the introduction process. Sasuke acted oblivious to the whole matter; intros were not his thing. The Sannin poked and prodded the young boy but to no avail; Sasuke would not budge.

A soft voice soon broke their little quarrel. "My name is Satomi" it said. It was the girl. She gave a wave to Sasuke and said, " Its nice to meet you."

"Get lost" he said.

Satomi scrunched up her face, she was confused again. Yet she didn't appear too hurt. Orochimaru watched the two interact; it was rather amusing for him. Truth was, Sasuke saw that she was not strong. By the sound of her voice and delicate appearance, there was no way he could take her seriously. This one-month thing would be a waste of time.

"Don't mind Sasuke, he's always serious" Orochimaru said. " He has a worse temper than I sometimes, but you'll be fine." He laughed a little at this. "Your training commences now, downstairs in the training grounds." With that he left the two teens alone to figure out their predicament.

"There's no way out now," Sasuke thought. "I'll become stronger though, I'll make sure of it." With a wave of his hand, he beckoned Satomi to follow, which she willfully obliged. They walked in silence on their way to the training grounds. The halls were getting longer and brighter, which makes sense because they were nearer to the mountain's base. Now that Sasuke got a better look at her, he noticed she didn't have any weapons on her. He had weapons to spare so that shouldn't be much of a problem.

While they walked, Sasuke felt her eyes looking at him, which provoked him to look back at her. She wasn't looking anymore. "Good", he thought. This whole situation was annoyingly exciting. As they approached the training grounds, his heart beat faster. The training grounds were the largest room in Orochimaru's lair. It was dedicated solely on helping him become stronger. It was divided into four sections with each containing its own environment. Today they entered the forest habitat that was one of the four sections that was designed to resemble that of Konoha. Tall trees scraped the ceiling while shrubs, boulders, and even wildlife covered the forest floor. According to Sasuke, it was the best habitat to train under because of how common it was in these lands.

He turned to look at the girl who looked upon the scene with amazement and wonder. "Wow, is this where we'll be staying?" she said.

"Yes".

"I never saw anything like this to be honest. You see, where I live there aren't forests like these. These trees are giants and several of these animals, I've never come across." Satomi said. She gave a little smile in return.

Sasuke simply closed his eyes. The girl doesn't have any experience with forests then. He sighed. " This is where we'll be training for a week. Each week we'll be moving to a different section of these grounds since there are four sections and four weeks in a month. I don't know how skilled you are but we'll see very soon. We're going to vigorously train even if it means if one of us is hurt. Understand?"

"Roger that" she said.

"Hn. We're going to commence on three. One. Two...three!"

Sasuke didn't look back as he rapidly hid in one of the nearby trees. All he had to do now was seek out where Satomi was hiding. He crouched there quietly and concentrated on his target. He couldn't sense her chakra or hear her. Where could she be? Sasuke quietly leaped onto another tree to get a better look. This time he heard a faint rustling in the bushes. " I've got her now." he thought. He ran towards the direction of the sound and hid behind one of the nearby trees. The rustling continued and for a moment Sasuke thought she was stuck in the bushes. If she was, he'd just have to set her free. Clutching his kunai pouch, he grabbed some shuriken and hurled them towards the shrubs. A loud shriek pierced the forest as Sasuke's prey was caught; it was Satomi.

He walked over to where she lay in pain. Apparently the shuriken didn't stab her but only grazed her skin. She screamed mostly out of fright rather than anything else. He saw that she was upset, but that didn't compare to how much he was pissed off at her.

"Satomi...don't you know how to fight?" he asked impatiently.

She suddenly seemed interested at the ground for she kept looking at it while averting his gaze. " I don't really...but I'm willing to learn. I'm sorry. I thought you wouldn't want to train with me if you knew. After all, I saw how disappointed you were when you saw me."

"And for good reason too. You're a small, soft-looking, stupid girl that has no talent. I have to teach you all the basics and more in a month or else I won't get the proper training that I need. Save your apologies and get up. The real fight begins now." he said coldly.

Satomi did as she was told and brushed off her black pants and red shirt. She stood this time with a bit more confidence as if to show him how dedicated she was to him. It didn't change his thoughts of her. Oh what a jerk he could be...

"Alright Satomi, since you're just a beginner I'll have to start with lesson one. Lesson number one of being a shinobi is that you never show emotion. Secondly, a shinobi-"

"Wait" she said. " How come you can't show emotion?"

"Hn. Because by showing petty things like feelings and emotions means that they get in the way of you're duty as a shinobi. You're more vulnerable and liable to get hurt."

"Oh I see. So, in order to be strong you must have a clear head. Right?"

Sasuke nodded in reply.

"Now, the second rule is to never give up." he said. "That's all for now."

Satomi shot him a weird look. Man, did she notice? He really thought those rules at the top of his head. Well...Sort of. They did reflect to how he was living his life. He didn't expect them to agree with her.

"What?" Sasuke said.

"Nothing" she replied. "Its just that usually when you start by saying "first", its expected to be followed by two other things. You just stopped at the second rule. It doesn't sound right."

"Your comments aren't appreciated here." he said coolly. "I suggest you tell it to someone who cares."

Satomi death glared him but he just did the same. After a few more seconds of these menacing stares, she couldn't take it anymore and took her eyes off of him. He sensed that she was tired of not blinking because she started tearing up right there. "Another victory for him" he thought.

He grabbed a few of his kunais from his kunai pouch and walked a few meters ahead to where there were three trees all aligned in a row. Carefully, he engraved a circular target on the bark of the trees. Then he went over and picked some red berries to use as a way to distinguish the target. Once he was done, Sasuke stepped back to admire his work that resembled a dartboard. Satisfied, he ran back to where Satomi stood gazing at some of the wildlife scampering by.

"Hey pay attention." Sasuke said. "This is your first lesson in shinobi tactics. Your job is to use these kunai.", he pointed to his kunai, "to aim and hit your target which is the bull's-eye."

Sasuke handed his kunai over to her and watched. Satomi examined the kunai carefully. He noticed she didn't handle it correctly. Already he predicted the numerous ways in which she would injure herself. Stupid girl..

"Ouch." she said. Satomi winced as she cut herself with the blade. He was right once again.

Exasperated, Sasuke grabbed the kunai from her hand and demonstrated how it should be done. Gracefully, with strength and precision, he aimed at the target and threw it directly at the tree. Bull's-eye!

"Your turn and try not to get hurt this time." he said sarcastically.

"You'll see." she said and stuck out her tongue.

He watched as she grasped the kunai correctly this time and waited for her to strike. Satomi held the blade in front of her and aimed. With her arms slightly pulled back, she sent the kunai flying into the trees. A second later a dull thud was heard a few meters ahead. The two teens looked into the distance and saw that the kunai hadn't missed its mark...exactly. She managed to hit the target circle but not the bull's-eye. Sasuke smirked, she wasn't a lost cause...yet. On the other hand, the young girl was ecstatic.

" Wow! Did you see that Sasuke? Not bad, eh?" she looked at him for approval.

Sasuke sighed. "While you did better than expected. That's not acceptable. Next time hit the center. I think that will be your training for today. I want you to practice your aim until you hit the bull's-eye every time."

She looked at him skeptically. "You're not doing this to get rid of me are you?"

"Whatever gave you that idea? Idiot." he said. And with that, he disappeared into the forest.

Sasuke needed time alone to gather his thoughts. He wasn't used to so much companionship after awhile. Mainly, Orochimaru left him alone unless he was needed for training or to accompany him on missions. Other than that, he stayed in his room to think.

He leaped from tree to tree searching for a place to set up camp. Sasuke decided the perfect place was nearby the river. The river crossed the heart of the forest, plenty of wildlife came to drink there, an abundant supply of fish swam in there, and it would keep both of them well fed and refreshed. Quickly, he began setting up the tents and fire. It was getting dark inside the chamber just like it would outside. That was another ingenious invention of Kabuto's. He had installed an apparatus that would function as the sun would. In other words, the lights inside the training ground would dim down as night approached and get brighter as morning came. Sasuke made the tents out of the fallen branches and large leaves of trees. A tent was a must because although they were inside, the ceiling would pour out water like a thunderstorm. The training grounds were built specifically to resemble the weather conditions a shinobi would normally encounter outside. Finally, he was finished and without a moment to spare; night had already fallen. Sasuke set out to fetch Satomi.

Not far from camp, he found her still going at her training. Which was stupid because there was no way she could see the targets.

"Satomi, that's enough for today. I set up a place for us to stay this week. Let's go" he said.

"But I had it, I know it. I managed to hit the bull's-eye three times in a row. You've got to see it." She tugged at his sleeves, but it only annoyed him further.

"Quit it. Listen, I'll see it tomorrow. Right now it's useless because in case you haven't noticed, it's dark." Sasuke said.

"Alright then, tomorrow." She puffed up her chest and said, "Well then, what else can I master?"

"You can master shutting up." he suggested.

Satomi did as she was told. He had to hand it to her, she listened well. He stood in front of her and bent down. "Hop on, we're going to camp."

Again, she obeyed, but not without some difficultly. Apparently, the darkness was too harsh on her eyesight because she first grabbed Sasuke's bangs. This led to some cries of protest from the boy and a whole bunch of apologies from the girl. She mistook his bangs from his shirt. In the end, she managed to put her arms around his neck. Sasuke slowly stood up and took off. He zoomed through the branches much to her dismay. Every time he took a giant leap, she tightened her grip. They had to stop once to let her calm down and for him to catch his breath. When they arrived at the camp, both teens were exhausted.

Satomi was the first to speak. " Sasuke not so fast next time, that was murder."

Sasuke however was not in the mood to argue. However, he did not leave without telling her that he was going to teach her how to travel like a shinobi if it was the last thing he did. He entered his own tent and plopped down on his makeshift bed. "I'm a teacher now...but what will I learn in turn" he wondered. Sasuke heard Satomi enter her own tent next door. "I'll become stronger." he thought. He fell fast asleep.

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To readers: Important!

I have the third chapter half-way written out. Probably going to be one of longest chapters so far, so be prepared!

Keep reading. I will update often.

Lovingly, thepenartist


	3. The Training Commences

Morning broke out across the tranquil forest where Sasuke was already up and awake. He was busy eating his catch of fish when Satomi woke up. She looked like a mess. Her hair stuck out in different directions and it didn't help that she had this brain-dead look upon her face. "She isn't a morning person." he thought. "I'll have to take care of that."

Satomi took her seat next to him and helped herself to some of the fish. Sasuke didn't look too happy.

"Satomi what are you doing?"

"Eating my breakfast." she said innocently.

"Actually, that's my breakfast. Go get your own." he said simply.

"How will I do that? I can barely even swim." Satomi said. She crossed her arms in defiance.

Sasuke however, was not fazed. "You can apply what you learned yesterday to get your breakfast."

"What?" she asked. Just then, Satomi's eyes lit up and she ran to her tent. "I understand, thanks Sasuke!"

Sasuke finished up eating his breakfast and went further down the river to clean up. Making sure that no one was around; he hid behind one of the boulders there and undressed. The water felt so good against his skin. He lathered up with some soap he packed for his trip. The scent of jasmine permeated his nose and caused him to completely relax. Sasuke grabbed his towel and went over to the nearby waterfall. He stood under it for quite sometime, thinking. His thoughts of the other night came back. It was silly but Sasuke kind of prided himself on being a teacher...for now. Even though his student was a complete failure, it reminded him of Kakashi. But that was a long time ago. Sasuke finished up his shower, dried himself off, and got dressed.

Moments later he arrived back at camp where Satomi greeted him. "Hey Sasuke! I caught enough fish for today. What do you think?" she asked.

He looked down and saw that she was right. On the ground there lay around 10 fish-just enough for today.

Satomi cooked a couple of fish over the fire. She told him all about the struggle she encountered catching them. At first, she didn't know how but his idea of putting her lessons to use, helped a lot. She used her kunais to pierce the fish, but that was more difficult than piercing a tree. The fish swam pretty fast. Satomi told him that she couldn't give up and that she knew that her enemies would be moving fast, like the fish. "So", she said, " I had to practice over and over again. Till finally I caught one. After that, it was easy."

"Hn." he said. He wasn't really listening.

"Sasuke, what are you always thinking about?" she asked

He looked at her, by the tone of her voice she sounded like she was interested in what he had to say. "Nothing." he said.

"Oh. Well where were you? You should have been there and seen for yourself, how I caught those fish."

"I was taking a bath over by that waterfall." Sasuke pointed to it. It was all the way down the river.

"You know." she said. "I could use a bath myself. I think I have some extra outfits Orochimaru lent me." Satomi went back to her tent.

Sasuke waited while she got what she needed. Something was bothering him, but what? Satomi came out her tent with a fresh pair of clothes, a towel, and soap. "Well, Sasuke you can go on ahead and train while I take a bath. I might take long though." she said.

That was it.

"Satomi, you don't know how to travel fast. I remember now. In order for the both of us to get stronger we'll need all the time we can get. Come here." he said.

"If you can get this right now you can travel more efficiently. Stand right there and concentrate. You must concentrate your chakra to the soles of your feet. The chakra will sustain your weight and provide you with extra speed and agility." he explained.

Satomi was once again confused. "Sasuke you forget that I have no clue about the shinobi world. What's chakra and how do I control it"

"I thought you wouldn't understand. Look, chakra is the resulting form of energy produced when physical and spiritual energies are mixed together within the body. Everyone has chakra, but only skilled ninja can correctly manipulate it to it's fullest extent. Your first lesson in chakra manipulation is tree climbing. Remember this lesson because its the basis for other chakra manipulations.

In this exercise, you must gather chakra at the bottoms of your feet and then walk up a tree like you would on land. There's a trick to this technique, so pay attention. If you have gathered too much chakra you will break the tree and fall off. With too little Chakra, you will also fall. However, with the correct amount you will actually stick to the tree. But, this is just the first step. Doing this for a matter of seconds is the "easy" part, sustaining it for minutes, or even hours is the true test. " he explained.

"Sure, no problem." she said nervously. Satomi stood and concentrated. He watched for a while. Sasuke couldn't sense any chakra coming out. "This is going to take longer than I had hoped" he thought.

"Satomi, I am going to leave you here. I'm going to train by myself. If you feel like you have mastered it, I want you to try to climb the trees. If you can climb it without using your hands, you have completed your lesson. That means you can travel by jumping through the trees with ease. "

"Okay. Although it would have been easier if you took me there." she complained.

"And suffocate under your grip? No thanks." he smirked.

Before she had any chance to protest, he left to train. Sasuke had been waiting for a chance to practice on his chidori. He learned to channel that energy on objects like his sword for example. He practiced with this technique by cutting down a few trees. Sasuke had this new technique in mind; he wasn't sure how to begin though. It was supposed to be a full-body chidori that can destroy anything he touched.

He concentrated on letting out his chakra. As soon as got up to that point, he had to focus on changing it into lightning; that was his dilemma. His stamina wasn't high enough to endure the strain it put on his body. Yet, Sasuke couldn't give up. Slowly but painfully, lightning chakra emitted from his arms to his torso. Unbearable pain shot up through his spine causing him to give in. "No" he thought "I can do this...Aagh!" He forced the chidori to spread to his shoulders, but now it was overload. Sasuke stopped it from going any further.

He dropped to the ground and breathed in heavily. "Damn it. Why can't I get this? Itachi...I have to..." Sasuke's vision was getting blurrier by the second. He struggled to stand up. His heart beat faster and faster. "What's happening? I can't get up" Sasuke laid paralyzed on the ground with his arms and legs splayed out.

It wasn't until late in the afternoon that his spirits had risen in hopes of getting out of this miserable position. Satomi came, albeit rather slowly, towards him. Sasuke witnessed her take her time to approach him. His patience was running thin but he couldn't lash out at the poor girl. There was still a chance of her not willing to help. Instead, he opted to call out to her in a decent manner.

"Satomi can you please come here quickly?"

Her footsteps quickened and soon she was by his side. "What is it?"

She stared at his body, that was contortioned in various awkward ways, and came to the conclusion that he needed his help. Satomi couldn't be any more casual. "Sasuke, what's wrong?" Her head cocked to the left and her lips broke out into a smile. "Need any help?"

Sasuke refused to answer her. "Of course he needed help" he thought. "It hurt his ego, but he was hopeless in this condition." He fought to move his legs to no avail.

Luckily, Satomi noticed his struggle and her smile diminished. She lowered her voice, "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here. Except, don't expect me to have the chakra control down pat. Trust me though, we'll be there before nightfall."

Satomi crouched down and pulled Sasuke by his arms. She shifted his weight over her shoulders and carried him piggy-back style. Like a statue, she remained still and concentrated. Sasuke felt her chakra flow freely within her body. Each second her chakra increased caused him more stress. From what he recalled, she didn't have this much chakra before.

The energy flow stopped and manifested itself underneath her. "What is she thinking," he thought. "Its too much it could destroy this place."

"Satomi, stop. That's too much chakra, you'll destroy the forest!"

"I don't know how to lower it! I'm sorry but I figured a way around it. Just hold on."

With one jump they were off; meters above the trees themselves. He braced himself for the impact that never came. Satomi hardly touched the trees' limbs and leaped gracefully across the forest. "I see. She skims through, barely affecting the objects around her. I'll have to admit its smart thinking." he thought.

"Hey, remind me to teach you how to control your chakra tomorrow."

Satomi nodded and sped up. In no time, they arrived back at camp. She wasted no time in taking him off her back. The venture had pushed her to the edge. Sasuke laid in a sitting position and using his arms, he dragged himself to his tent. He took off his shoes, bandages, and pulled up his shorts. His legs weren't too battered. The shallow cuts running from his kness to his thighs would fade in time. Sasuke was more worried if he'd ever walk again. Gingerly, he ran his fingers across his legs and applied pressure to them. He massaged them to increase blood flow.

Next door, he heard the fuss Satomi was making. By the way it sounded, she was busy looking for something. He didn't have to guess what it was because she came inside his tent with a first-aid kit in hand.

"Good thing I had this. I'll fix you up in a jiffy." she grinned.

After their ordeal, he was in a more jovial mood. He played along. "No thanks, miss nurse. I don't even know your name."

"Its Satomi Ueda. Now, my dear patient, I'll be attending your wounds." Her hands rummaged through the kits and pulled out a bundle of bandages.

"Ueda. Hn. Like I said, I won't be needing your services. Just hand the kit over and I'll be okay." He stretched out his arm. However, things were not going his way. She crawled up to him and in a motherly way, she placed her hand on his forehead.

"Seems like you don't have a fever. You must be stupid then because only a stupid person wouldn't accept help. Sasuke you can't even move, quit being stubborn." she said.

He was taken aback by her comment but kept his composure. It was human nature to vent out a little. No longer in a mood to argue, he surrendered in defeat. Sasuke knew she wouldn't take no for an answer and in his state, he couldn't fight back. Otherwise, he'd knock her out.

Sasuke took off his shirt and Satomi examined his chest. "Its bruised very badly." she said quietly. Her hands ran over each purple spot and pressed down. He winced and let out a growl. "Not too hard."

There wasn't much she could do. He wasn't bleeding or had any broken ribs. "Your lucky your upper body didn't suffer much. All your vital organs are there. If you had damaged them, you'd be in grave danger." she pointed out.

He listened to her ramble on about the importance of safety. Sasuke knew all about that, but he'd rather take the risks. After she was done applying medicinal cream on his torso, she left him to bandage his legs. That he could do by himself, she said.

His lower body resembled that of a mummy's. He propped them up with his pillow and slept. The training would have to be delayed on his part. She was another case.

Sasuke woke up in a terrible fit of rage the next morning. His legs weren't working properly as he had hoped. They dangled and wobbled with every effort he made to move. On the bright side, they could move a little. He wondered how Satomi was doing. Last night must have consumed up a lot of her chakra. At this rate, neither of them could train for a few days. Sasuke dragged himself out of his tent and gazed at his surroundings. There was no trace of Satomi anywhere. She was probably inside her tent, so he crawled pitifully to there. With one eye, he peered inside.

Her abode, he noted, represented her to a T. Sets of weapons lay askew on the ground, her blanket was thrown against a pile of clothes, and the few possessions she had were littered upon the floor. At the far end of the tent, was Satomi fast asleep. Sasuke grabbed a kunai and hurled it in her direction. It missed her but got her attention. She woke up and sat upright. Her eyes squinted in suspicion. "Satomi its me" he called out.

"Sasuke? What time is it?"

"I don't know but the lights are at their brightest. It must almost be noon."

"Your not going to train are you?" she asked, sounding like half-hoping he wouldn't.

"No. Are you?"

"I might not. Maybe later. I'm still sore from last night," she said, rubbing her arm in response, " how are you feeling?"

" Better than yesterday. I still can't stand up though but my legs can move." He wiggled them for proof. "That's great." she said.

They stayed silent for awhile. The birds chirping echoed throughout the treetops while the insects buzzing hummed along the forest floor. A rustling was heard as Satomi got up and walked out of the tent. Sasuke moved out of the way and crawled near the campfire. Not a word was said.


	4. Its Over

Eventually the two recuperated and continued their training. By now they moved on to the fourth section of the training grounds. Snowflakes drizzled from the ceiling and gusts of wind blew across their frozen bodies. To keep warm, they fashioned two bear fur coats from the forest. Sasuke came up with the idea after experiencing three days with Orochimaru in the frozen tundra.

Their last week was coming to a close. Each of them had gotten stronger in their own ways. Satomi, Sasuke noted, had mastered the basics of being a shinobi. On top of that, her attitude had changed. She no longer depended on him for easy tasks like food, shelter, or training. However, the two did stick together when training to avoid another mishap.

On the other hand, Sasuke also made considerable progress. He managed to learn his full-body chidori technique. Week 3 at the desert was the most intense training he ever endured. Hours of concentration paid off and he wasn't paralyzed-that was a bonus. All that was left were the faint scars on his legs. At the moment, he was relaxing. Relaxing never came easy to him, but there he was lounging around camp. One month of training had been completed and he waited for Satomi's arrival to go meet Orochimaru.

Their belongings laid in a pile at the heart of the camp. Sasuke sat at the very top of this small hill and searched for Satomi. She was no where in sight. He reminded her this morning that it was the last day. Instead, of helping him pack up, she choose to get in a smidge of training left. He squinted his eyes at a blurry moving object. It headed in his direction. Sasuke made out the outline of a small girl. Finally, she was back.

Satomi landed behind the pile, flushed and beads of sweat poured down her face. "I'm not too late am I?" she said, while panting.

"We should have been there about half an hour ago. Come on, grab your stuff."

Sasuke leapt down and clutched half of the 10 bags in the pile. She followed his lead and now both were ready to continue on their journey back. After they bid adieu to the place, the two shinobi dashed towards the exit and out of sight. Long tunnels and several flights of stairs later, a less-than-welcoming sight accompanied them. Orochimaru stood at the head of the grand chamber, quietly observing them.

"Sasuke-kun," he hissed, "you're back home. Kabuto and I missed you. Didn't we, Kabuto?"

Kabuto fidgeted around. "Yes we did."

Orchimaru stretched open his arms in a hug-like manner. "My body has increased in strength, I hope?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He walked closer to the Sannin. "What do you think? I've learned techniques that'll serve me well."

He pressed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder and whispered into his ear. "You mean they'll serve ME well." He turned and looked at Satomi. "Oh and how was she? You didn't have a hard time-huh, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru chortled.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Satomi cried.

She sprinted up to where the two were conversing. Holding up her arm she said "One month of intensive training has made me stronger." Satomi flexed a little to prove her point.

Orochimaru blinked. "I see. You don't look so soft anymore. Tell me what else have you accomplished?"

"Plenty."

"I'd like to see that very soon." he said, eyeing her.

Sasuke wanted to go back to his room. He put on his most exasperated face and asked to be excused. Orochimaru dismissed him but he asked Sasuke to take Satomi to her new room. Already at his peak, he seized her hand before he would explode out of anger, and marched out of the chamber.

The familiar setting of Orochimaru's lair washed over him. His feet lazily dragged them towards their rooms. Once they arrived, he turned to his side of the hall, pointing to her room right across.

"Sasuke. Now's our chance." she whispered.

His ears perked up "What?"

"I mean, we can escape out of here." She played with her hands nervously. "You and I both hate Orochimaru. He won't suspect a thing if we leave right now."

Sasuke couldn't believe what he was hearing. He chuckled, "Satomi, I only tolerate him because of what I can gain from him. I can become powerful."

"What good is power if you die for it?! Sasuke, he wants to take over your body. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" she cried.

She took his hand. "Come on, we'll go back to our homes and-

Sasuke slapped her hand away. Lowering his voice so that she can only hear, he said, " I'll never go back, not for you or anyone."

Trembling, she pleaded once more to go with her. He wouldn't budge.

"Then why are you staying here? Answer me honestly." she emphasized.

Sasuke rubbed his head. He was frustrated enough. "I have to avenge my family. I need to kill my brother for the murder of the Uchiha clan."

Her eyes widened with fear, Sasuke expected them pop out any minute. "Well?" he coughed.

"I'm sorry. That's a good reason for wanting power. I'll go on my own then."

"Wait." he said. Afterall, he was curious. Why was she here? "Its common courtesy to know something about the one who asked you questions. Why did Orochimaru pick you to come here?"

Satomi who was half-way down the hall, turned to face him. With a shrug, she said " I don't know why. I was over at the Land of Wind's many villages when I was captured. Maybe he kidnapped the wrong girl," she scratched her head, " His offer of power is tempting but I don't think I'll need it."

"And why is that?" Sasuke asked.

"Because I'm on a journey looking for my father. I doubt I'll need power. Information is better."

Here was a girl who was on a quest of her own, but vastly different from his-opposite even. Her decision was wise. If she escaped now she had a 50 chance of succeeding. Yet, that would only work if he helped her. His brain was busy weighing the pros and cons of this ordeal while Satomi strolled out of sight.

"Wait!" he yelled.

Again, she stopped in her tracks. "What is it?" The walls appeared to close in on him and the torches blinded him more. "Sasuke, what's wrong? You're not focusing." Her hand on his shoulder broke his trance. He had made his decision.

"Satomi, its better off if you stayed. Kabuto's computer database holds numerous profiles of people. If your father was a shinobi, there's a strong chance he holds information on him."

He watched her touch her lip, as if in deep thought. "I guess," she said, mulling it over, "that makes sense. My father was a shinobi. However, there's one problem."

"What is it?"

"I can't just strut in there and demand for information on my father! He'll suspect me!"

Just as he thought. He smirked. "No you can't do that, but I can. I have access to every room here. If you give me his name, I can do it for you."

Her eyes furrowed in suspicion. "And why would you do that?"

"Think of it as a favor for taking care of me back there. Thanks to you I wasn't eaten by any rabid animals while I was paralyzed."

Her expression hardly changed-she wasn't buying it. "Since when do you care so much? You never show concern or anything for others, its interesting. So, you finally had a change of heart, huh Sasuke-kun? I'll accept your favor, but no double-crossing me. Got it?"

Unfazed by her lack of trust, he smoothly shook her hand on it. "Got it."

A smile crossed her lips. "Wow, thanks for talking me out of it. If it weren't for you I'd be running in circles." Her slender arms wrapped around his neck in a bear-hug manner. "Get off idiot." he murmured. Sasuke snaked his way off of her. "Remember to not mention this to anyone." he warned.

Satomi signaled a thumbs-up to him. " Its not in my genes to break a secret. Oh and his name is Jiro Ueda, gather all the information you can find. I won't have anything to do tomorrow, you know where to find me. See you then." she waved.

"Right." he said.

They both walked back to their rooms and slammed the oak doors shut. Inside, Sasuke noticed a couple changes to his room-for one, the lighting fixtures have improved. Taking the place of the torches were modern lamps and to far end of the room was a different bed. He could tell because it looked longer and now the for the real test. Sasuke slunk back into his new bed. Perfect. It was hard enough to support his weight. Yes, the fluffy mess was gone.

The day's events rewinded back and forth in his mind. He flipped over his belly and fought to block the memories with his pillow. It wasn't working. Her face kept reappearing and it bothered him. What did she mean by being so cocky today? Her comments to Orochimaru made him feel uneasy. From what he knew about him, Orochimaru's curiousity couldn't be settled, he'd love to see her power. Then again, what power did she have? Anyone could throw kunais, handle chakra, and perform basic jutsus. Still, his insticts told him that he'd be her next opponent very soon and he'd never dream of losing to her. Not even if she was weaker than him.

Sasuke found peace in knowing that he'd have something to look forward to. No one knew, but he loved sneaking around the base. It must have had to do with his notion of being a spy, which was silly of course. His next mission was to search for her father. In due time, all his plans would become clear. In the meantime, he drifted into a deep sleep.

More like a deep nap-someone was knocking at his door. A low roaring voice bellowed at him. "Open the door! I've been knocking fer hours!" The voice wasn't from someone Sasuke knew and he peered through the peephole to find out. An old man in ragged clothes was hunched over on the other side of the door. Once more the man knocked. "Open up! I know yer in there." he grumbled.

The raven-haired boy swiftly opened it and looked up to meet a tall, dirty, drunk-looking man. "What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"Finally ya came. I've been sent to fetch ya to Kabuto. He wants to see ya and he suggested to bring the little lady along to0. You know where her room is? He never told me where it was." the man scratched his balding head.

"Its right across from here." He went over to her door and knocked twice. A little shuffling of feet was heard as she scrambled to open the door. Satomi came out to greet him but had a look of disdain when she laid eyes on the man. "Who's this?" she asked.

"Someone to take us to Kabuto, lets go."

Satomi and Sasuke followed the strange man for a while. Sasuke noticed they weren't going to the medical room where Kabuto usually stayed at. Then it must be the computer database where they were headed, he thought. A turn to the left told him so, and soon they stopped at the front of the information headquarters. The old man entered the room first. "I brought them here, where's what ya promised?"

Sasuke saw Kabuto calmly pull out a measely looking sub sandwich out of his coat. "Here." he handed it to the man, to which he stuck out his grubby fingers and seized it with fervor. In a hurry, the man exited the room and Sasuke could hear the man scarf down the meal.

"Come in." Kabuto called out.

They both walked inside. A huge plasma-screen stuck out at them and various smaller screens surrounded it. The small screens showed different parts of the base; surveillance cameras no doubt. In between two of the screens sat Kabuto. His glasses held a glint of the computer's glare, masking his eyes. He bent forward and crossed his hands. "You guys, I've been ordered by Orochimaru to leave this base and go to Base 13. It'll only be temporary seeing as Orochimaru only wants to visit his experiments and then we'll return. I want you to pack about a week's worth of clothing."

"But then why couldn't that guy have passed the message along to us? Now we have to walk all the back to get our stuff." Satomi huffed.

"I have to give you guys a vaccine before you go."

Satomi shrieked. Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned to Kabuto, "You've never had to give vaccines out on trips before." he said plainly.

"I know," Kabuto adjusted his glasses, "its that this time an outbreak of this disease called E-113 managed to get ahold of Orochimaru's experiments. That's also the reason why we're going there."

Satomi recovered from her previous outburst and was eager to join in the conversation. "So," she began slowly, "I'm guessing that now that you have the cure, you'll be sending it out to them."

"Exactly." Kabuto said, "Except I'll only be applying it to a number of people. The rest will have to suffer."

Sasuke watched her reaction, her hands were shaking and her eyes shut tight. "Why?!" she cried, "Why not everyone! This is cruelty!" Her hands slammed on the desk.

"Don't you realize, Satomi?" Sasuke whispered, "Orochimaru only intended this disease to be used on his selected experiments, not everyone. If everyone of them died, then it would be of no use to him."

"Right again, Sasuke-kun" Kabuto said while spinning around in his chair. "You live up to your name. As for you Satomi" he turned to her, "try to understand. The people there are barely human anymore, don't pity them. I think its better they died of sickness then what lies in store for them." He gestured for her to come closer.

She did so but a frown and furrowed eyebrows remained on her face. From the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw Kabuto pull out of a needle. He turned his attention to Satomi to see if she'd notice-but she didn't. Her blue eyes were glued to the computer screen-too angry to even glance at the man eyeing her arm.

Kabuto continued talking to her, he could take advantage now, he only had to keep her distracted. "It'll be fun Satomi, you'll get out of here and explore, even make friends." Kabuto explained, hoping to console her. Sasuke saw his hand touch hers while clutching the syringe with the other.

"Hey!" she screamed. "Let go!" she struggled to free her arm from his grip. Swiftly, Kabuto stood up and stabbed the needle into the limb and just as swiftly, pull it out.

Sasuke's sensitive ears prepared for the worst-her shrieks of pain. But it never came, instead he heard Kabuto's voice.

"That wasn't too bad. You did fine." he said. How naive. If one month with the girl taught him anything is that, she doesn't cry out of pain but the whole act of the crime.

Satomi held her hand tenderly and began to cry. The look of terror once she saw the tiny mark where she'd been stabbed-was hilarious even by Sasuke's standards. He swallowed his laughter and focused on Kabuto's stares.

It annoyed him that Kabuto thought he'd be scared of a needle. One of his arms was hidden behind his back with the long needle in hand.

Sasuke sat down and stretched out his arm and even pointed to the spot where he'd like to be pricked. "Right there, Kabuto, don't be scared. I won't bite." he said boldly.

"That's big of you but we'll see who's scared." Kabuto drew the needle and a pastel green-colored liquid oozed out of it. Slowly, he tapped Sasuke's arm in search of a vein-finding pleasure in torturing him.

"Kabuto hurry up. We have to leave right?" Sasuke demanded.

"Yes, of course." The needle poked through Sasuke's skin, causing him to let out a small-but barely noticible wince. "There, we're done. Leave now." Kabuto said.

Sasuke looked down at his arm, small tickles of blood flowed openly. Satomi who was above him, gazed down at his arm. "Wow, your a bleeder." she whistled.

"I don't bleed often since no one can touch me. And don't be so surprised, you bled even more." he replied coldly.

"I know, I was kidding. So, lets get a move on! I want to get out of this place!" Satomi grabbed Sasuke by shoulders and began dragging him out.

"Stop you idiot. I can walk for myself."

"Suit yourself, but don't forget to hurry." she sprinted out of the room like a gazelle and out of sight.

Sasuke sighed, only he and Kabuto were left in the room.

"She sure is energetic." Kabuto said

"Unfoturnately"

"Reminds you of Naruto Uzumaki, don't you think?"

Sasuke never saw it that way before, in many areas she was like him. Thank God she had more sense than him.

"I don't even want to think of that." he said. He was almost out the door when Kabuto called out to him.

"Sasuke I saw you wince at that needle."

"Shut-up" he said. 


End file.
